The woman was eventually able to continue her journey in her undamaged car but did not have room to take the owl, which was being carried in a box.

A lot of her possessions, which were in the caravan, were also damaged.

Sgt Paul Cording from North Yorkshire Police said: “She’d manage to squeeze as much as she could in the car, including the dogs and two other birds, both falcons, but she didn’t have enough room for the owl.

“Thankfully we found it a home for the night at a local sanctuary. I think he is going to be picked up by a relative and taken on to be reunited with his owner in Italy.

“It was certainly one of the more unusual nights for us. I did feel a bit like Doctor Doolittle.

“Once we knew everyone was ok, we did have a hoot about it.”

data-ad-format="auto">

Police said the state of the caravan, which had overturned and shed its load, reinforced why it was illegal to ride in a vehicle whilst being towed.